Circular knitting machine and method of knitting



Oct. 21, 1958 D. GELL 5 cINcuLAR KNITTING MAdHINEAND METHOD OF KNITTING Filed Sept. 25, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor:

E NIS 6-5-11.

Oct. 21, 19 58 D. GELL 2,856,762

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF KNITTING Filed Sept. 25, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor: IH GELL By [AI-7'41 D.. GELL Oct. 21, 1958 CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINEAND METHOD OF KNITTING Filed Sept. 25. 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor: DEN) 5 GELJ.

. D. GELL Oct. 21,1958

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF KNITTING Filed; Sept. 25, 1 52.

- 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF KNITTING Dennis Gell, Leicester, England, assignor to The Charliwood Engineering Company Limited, Leicester, England Application September 25, 1952, Serial No. 311,438

8 Claims. (Cl. 66-48) This invention concerns independent needle knitting machines, especially circular knitting machines of the type comprising a circular bed for independent needles, needle operating cams or equivalent means for causing the needles to knit one after another at a knitting station, and a plurality of interchangeable yarn feeders for feeding any pre-determined one or more of a plurality of yarns to the needles so as to be knitted by them at that station, which bed on the one hand and the cams on the other hand are relatively movable about an axis of the bed in knitting. The invention is primarily applicable to machines of this type wherein the needle bed is a cylinder but the invention is also applicable to those machines of this type having two opposed or superimposed needle cylinders equipped with double-ended needles capable of transfer by means of sliders from one cylinder to the other.

An object of the invention is a knitting machine of the type mentioned above which is capable of produc ing intarsia fabric. Intarsia fabric is defined for the purpose of the present invention as consisting of successive areas of fabric which succeed one another in the coursewise direction, alternate areas being tapered and the intervening areas being widened so that they have margins disposed diagonally to the courses, and each area being knitted of a yarn or yarns different from that or those of which an adjacent area is or areas are knitted and each area being joined to the next at a margin. More specifically, the invention is concerned with a machine for producing intarsia fabric in which, in the Wale-wise direction, successive widened and narrowed areas or diamonds follow one another.

The invention provides a method of producing intarsia fabric on an independent needle knitting machine which consists in knitting inter-connected areas of fabric on different groups of knitting elements, by selecting the groups to knit in pre-determined order, effecting relative reciprocatory or oscillatory motion between the elements and operating mechanism therefor sufiicient for a group of the elements to be operated by the operating mechanism, and adjusting the relative positions of the elements and operating mechanism in the direction of said motion to predetermined extents for the groups to be operated, by the operating mechanism, in said pre-determined order.

The invention also provides a circular knitting machine of the type specified, organized to knit intarsia fabric the aforesaid areas of which have inter-connected margins, having means for oscillation (or, as it is commonly termed reciprocation) between the bed and cams to cause needles to knit part circular fabric at the knitting station, means for effecting successive shogging motions between the bed and earns to cause groups of needles appropriate to each of the alternate areas in turn and then each of the intervening areas in turn, to pass to and fro through the knitting station during the production of said areas, and needle controlling means for narrowing each intervening area while being knitted by progressively moving needles to loop-holding inactivity and for widening each alternate area while being knitted by progressively introducing needles from said loop-holding inactivity. Thus each of the alternate areas is united along a margin to an adjacent intervening area, by virtue of the fact that 2,856,762 Patented Oct. 21, 1958 when a needle is introduced into activity it already holds its last-formed loop of said alternate area and proceeds to draw through this loop its first loop of said intervening area.

it will be appreciated that either the needle bed or the cams may be reciprocatable the other being normally stationary in space. In such a construction the shogging may be effected by (a) shifting the normally stationary part in one direction or the other or (b) shifting the reciprocable part in one direction or the other. Thus for example in a preferred construction in which the needle cylinder oscillates and the cams remain stationary, the cylinder or the cams may be shogged.

in general, the extent to which either part is shogged will be the equivalent of the course-wise distance between the centres of adjacent areas or will be a multiple of this distance. Any suitable driving mechanism can be employed for shogging the normally stationary part. On the other hand if it is desired to shog that part which reciprocates two chief alternative mechanisms present themselves.

In the first alternative the drive is transmitted through an epicyclic or differential gear, a normally stationary member of which is at the desired time caused or permitted to partake of the necessary degree of rotation. For example, considering a gear in which two co-axial bevel gears mesh with an interposed bevel pinion which normally rotates on bearings in a stationary frame so that motion imparted to one gear is transmitted to the other gear in the reverse direction, the stationary frame may at the required time be permitted to rotate through the required angle so that the driven bevel lags behind the driving bevel. In such an arrangement it may be desirable to hold the driven bevel stationary while the frame is rotating or to drive the frame at half the speed of the driving bevel.

In the second alternative mechanism the drive is transmitted through a releasable dog-clutch the two members of which are arranged to be connected in a plurality of rotational attitudes. Thus at the required time the two members may be disconnected so that the driven member lags behind the driving member and may then be connected in the new attitude.

The machine may be provided with embroidery yarn feeders, pattern controlled means for causing them to lap appropriate knitting elements when the direction of the oscillatory or reciprocatory motions are about changing, and further pattern controlled means for shogging the yarn feeders to lap different elements in different courses.

Preferably, the fabric is knitted as a complete tube, there being an equal number of the two kind of areas in the circumference of the tube. In a specific construction this tube forms at least the leg of a stocking, sock or the like and the machine is provided with means for knitting a pouch by oscillation or reciprocation.

The above and other features of the invention set out in the appended claims are incorporated in the construction which will now be described, as a specific embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a general side elevational view of a circular knitting machine according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of drive and shogging mechanism for the needle cylinder.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatical elevational projection of knitting elements in the machine.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatical sectional plan view on line 4-4 ofFigureB.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatical sectional plan view on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a sectional side detail view of control mechanism for the knitting elements.

"is m Figure 7 is a plan view showing said control mechanism.

Figure 8 is an enlarged elevational detail view of part of said control mechanism.

Figure 9 is a part sectional elevational view of embroidery mechanism.

Figure 10 is a plan View of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a diagrammatical illustration of the embroidery.

Figure 12 is a top perspective View of a mans sock according to the invention.

The machine illustrated in Figure 1 is a circular knitting machine having normally stationary knitting cams (indicated generally at 1 in Figure 1) and a needle cylinder 2 which is arranged to knit by rotary motion and also by re-ciprocatory or oscillatory motion. The oscillatory motion conveniently has an amplitude of 360 and is imparted to the needle cylinder 2 by quadrant mechanism of a comparatively conventional nature. That is. to say, there is a quadrant 3 (see also Figure 2) which is oscillated to and fro with a predetermined amplitude and meshes with a pinion 4 on a shaft 5 which-is connected to the cylinder 2 through gears 6, 7, bevel gearing 8, 9 and gears 10, 11. The pinion 4 is connected to the shaft 5 through a double dog-clutch 12 which latter also serves, when the pinion 4 is disconnected, to connect the shaft 5 to a constantly rotating pinion or gear so that the cylinder 2 may be rotated or oscillated as and when required. The shogging mechanism hereinafter described in detail is interposed between the shaft 5 and the cylinder 2.

The cams 1 are arranged in known manner to cause the needles to knit at a knitting station A (see also Figure when the cylinder 2 is rotating and also to knit at that station A during a swing of the cylinder 2 in either direction. At the knitting station A there is a plurality of interchangeable yarn feeders 13 (see Figures 1 and 10) any one or more of which may be moved to feeding position as required.

The machine is organized to knit a stocking, sock S (Figure 12) or the like with heel H and toe pouch TP. Needles in the cylinder 2 are therefore divide-d into two groups (see Figure 3) each extending through approximately 180 viz instep needles and the heel needles 16. This distinction may be made by the provision of knitting butts 14 of different lengths so that when it is required to knit the heel or toe pouch the instep needles 15 may be raised or lowered to loop-holding position in which they retain their last-knitted loops and refrain from knitting activity. Additionally the machine is provided with pickers 17, 18 so that the heeling needles may bev progressively picked into inactivity and subsequently picked back to activity in the production of a pouch. These pickers are referred to as the narrowing and widening pickers respectively and they are also employed in the production of the areas of fabric hereinbefore referred to.

It will be assumed that, before the intarsia work in the leg of a sock S or the like is commenced, the full circle of needles 15, 16 is equipped with knitted fabric such for example as a one-and-one top T (Figure 12) which may either have been produced on these needles 15, 16 or may have been run on to them. It will also be assumed that for the sake of simplicity the circumference of the tube contains two, complete diamonds of intarsia fabric. At the commencement of the intarsia fabric the instep needles 15 are shifted intoloop-holding inactivity, leaving the heel needles 16 active. These needles 16 oscillate to and fro past the. knitting. station A and the appropriate yarn is fed to them so that they knit part circular fabric. As they oscillate, needles at the ends of the group are progressively shifted to loop-holding inactivity until all or nearly all the needles are inactive. There is thus produced a triangle or half diamond J of fabric (being one of the alternate areas aforesaid) which at the top has a width equal to half the circumference of the cylinder 2 and tapers to a point.

The needle cylinder 2 is now racked forwards or backwards through 180 so that the instep needles 15 swing to and fro past the knitting station A. The instep needles 15 are all shifted to the active level and the picking sequence is repeated, thus producing a second triangle J, being the second of the alternate areas.

The needle cylinder 2 is now racked through 90, a yarn change is made and a central needle (at the juncture of the heel and instep needles 15, 16) is brought into activity. Additional needles 15, 16 are added, mainly by picking, which continues until half the needles 15, 16 are active, these needles being half of the instep needles 15 and half of the heeling needles 16. Since during the picking operations the needles 15, 16 which are added to the ends of the growing active group already held loops of the previously knitted half diamonds J, I the. fabric K produced by this. group is united at its edges to the edges of the previously-knitted half diamonds J, I.

At this stage narrowing is commenced and continued until none or until only a few of the needles 15., 16 remain in activity. A complete diamond K has thus been produced.

The needle cylinder 2 is now racked through 180, a yarn change is made and the same widening and narrowing operations are performed on the. other half of the needles 15, 16 to produce another complete diamond K the centre of which is spaced 180 from the centre of the first diamond K. These two diamonds K, K or at least their upper halves, constitute the intervening areas aforesaid.

Next the needle cylinder 2 is racked through 90 to cause the instep needles 15 to oscillate through the knit-- ting station A and by widening and narrowing, a complete diamond. L is. produced on these needles. quently, similar operations are repeated after racking the cylinder through 180", 90, 180, 90 and 180 to produce further diamonds L, M, M.

Thus the sequence of racking for completing; a pattern which contains two complete diamonds in. the circle, and also in its length, is 0l80, l270,. 270-90, 1800, 0-90 and 90.270.

At this stage none of the needles 15, 16 is active and two complete diamonds M, M have been knitted side by side by virtue of the last two racks, the-needle. cylinder 2 being displaced 90 from its original position. Irrespective of whether it is intended to continue. the. pattern lengthwise of the leg, ,or terminate it (e.. g. to embark on the heel pouchH) it is necessary to knitthe two widened triangles N, N which will till the space between the tapered. lower parts of these two. diamonds. M, M. If the pattern is to be. continued thiscan be eifected by continuing the. racking sequence of 90 and.180 inalternation. On the. other. hand if it is desired to knit the heel this sequence. must be broken so as to bring the needle cylinder back to its original position and. to present the heel needles for actuation at the knitting station. There fore the next rack is through 270 to knit one half diamond N at the front of the sock and then through 180 to knit the other half diamond N at the back of the sock. These two racks bring the needle cylinder 2 back to itsoriginal'position.

At this stage all the heel needles 16 are active and all the instep needles 15 are inactive. The heel H can now be knitted in the normal manner by narrowing and widening, or if it is first desired to knit circular fabric the instep needles 15 can be brought into activity; A spliced area above the heel can-be produced by'feeding spliced thread during the production of the last half diamond N knitted on the heel needles.

It may be pointed out that the break in the racking sequence abovementioned is only necessary if the pattern consists, lengthwise, of an even. number of complete diamonds. If it consists of an odd number. of complete diamonds then the racking sequence set out above will Subsepresent the heel needles 16 in the appropriate position for the production of the heel H.

After the heel H has been knitted, the foot F may be knitted of unpatterned fabric by rotation of the needle cylinder 2 or it may be knitted of intarsia fabric by resuming the racking sequence already described.

It will be appreciated that at each stage when two side by side diamonds have been completed all the needles 15, 16 are inactive and the knitting or other butts 14 on which the pickers 17, 18 operate form an unbroken circle. Before the widening pickers 18 can come into operation to pick needles 15, 16 into activity it is necessary to make a break in this circle. Therefore means are provided, additional to the pickers 17, 18 for shifting a few needles 15, 16 into activity at the apex of each diamond or triangle required to be knitted, thereby forming a gap in the knitting butts 14 in which the picker or pickers 17, 18 can work. This means may comprise butts 19 (Figures 3, 4 and 5) of contrasting lengths for a few needles 15, 16 at each said apex, and one or more bolt cams movable inwards in two or more stages to engage the contrasting butts 19.

The statement that the butts 19 are provided for the needles 15, 16 is intended to include a construction in; which they are provided on the needles or on jacks or sliders 20 (see also Figure 6) associated with the needles: 15, 16.

In a convenient construction of this character, at four regions D, E, F, G (Figures 3 to 5) spaced apart by 90 there are 7 jacks 21 to 27 which have selecting butts 19 at each of two levels UL and LL. These four regions D, E, F, G are coincident with the centres of the heeling group 16 and of the instep group 15, and the two points of juncture between said two groups.

Considering each batch of seven jacks 21-27 at the upper level UL jack 22 has a short butt 19SB (Figure 4),. jacks 23 and 24 have long butts 19LB and jack 25 has a medium butt 19MB, jacks 21, 26 and 27 being void of butts 19. At the lower level LL jacks 21 and 22 have medium length butts 19MB, jacks 23 and 24 are void of butts, jacks 25 and 26 have long butts 19LB and jack 27 has a short butt 198B. A bolt cam 28 or 29 Figure 6 movable radially to three alternative operating positions is: provided at each level UL and LL, but these bolt cams: 28, 29 are so controlled that they can only remain in; position for suflicient time to engage butts 19 of the one: batch of jacks 20 under consideration and to miss the: butts 19 of the other three batches.

The operation of the above mechanism is as follows:

In the first swing of the cylinder in one direction the: top bolt earn 28 is in to engage the long butts Jl9LB of jacks 23 and 24 (Figure 7) which are therefore brought. to the active level but jack 24, is picked back again by' a narrowing picker 17. In the swing in the reverse direc-- tion the bolt cam 28 goes in still further and engages the: long butt 191B of jack 24 (Figure 7) and the medium. butt 19MB of jack 25, bringing them to the active level, but in this swing jack 23, is picked back to the inactive position by a narrowing picker 17. In the third swing: the bolt cam 28 goes in still further to engage the short: butt 198B of jack 22, and to shift that jack 22 and jack. 23 to the active position. In this swing jack 25 is picked by a narrowing picker 17 to the inoperative position. Thelower bolt cam 29 now goes into operation and in a swing;

in the reverse direction is pushed in to engage the two long: butts 19LBB of jacks 25 and 26 which are brought to op erative position. in this swing jack 22 is picked to in operative position by a narrowing picker 17. At the: next swing in the original direction the lower bolt cam 29' goes in still further to engage the medium butts 19MB- of jacks 21 and 22 which are thus brought to the active position but in this swing jack 26 is picked out of action. by a narrowing picker 17. In the next swing in the re-- verse direction the lower bolt cam 29 goes in still further" so that it engages the short butt 1958 of jack 27, as well.

as the long butt 19LB of jack 26, bringing these two jacks 27, 26 to the active position, but jack 21, is picked out of action by a narrowing picker 17.

Thus there has been opened in the line of knitting butts 14 a gap sufficiently wide to permit the normal widening picker 18 (Figure 6) to operate therein and progressively to pick needles 15, 16 at the ends of the gap into activity to join those already rendered active by the mechanism just described.

The two bolt cams 28 and 29 (Figure 6) are biased by springs 30, 31 to inoperative position and are moved inwards by a cam drum 32 having upper and lower cams 33, 34 for the respective bolt earns 28 and 29. This drum 32 is racked by a rack wheel 35, cut with six teeth so that to make one revolution of the drum 32 six racks are required. The first three racking motions control the upper bolt cam 28 and the second three racking motions control the lower bolt cam 29, and means are provided for holding the widening picker 18 inoperative while the drum 32 is being racked but for bringing it into operation after the sixth rack. For this purpose the top end of the cam drum 32 carries a raised cam ring 36 on which there rests a plunger 37 located under the rear end or tail 38 of the widening picker 18, the picking end 39 of the picker 18 being thereby held down in an inoperative position. The ring 36 is so formed that after the sixth rack it permits the plunger 37 to fall. The tail 38 of the picker 18 is thereupon drawn down by a spring 40 and the picking end 39 rises to operative position.

The racking motion of the drum 32 is derived from a continuously rotating shaft 41 (Figure 7 )1 provided with a suitable operating cam 42. The latter acts on a truck 43 carried by a truck lever 44 which is connected to a pawl plate 45 (oscillatable about the axis of the drum 32) through suitable lever mechanism 146 designed to amplify the movements of the truck 43. This pawl plate 45 carries a pawl or clawker 46 acting on the rack wheel 35 by which the drum 32 is racked in steps of 60.

It is necessary to stop the drum 32 after the sixth rack has been made until such time as the drum 32 is required to start racking again at the peak of the next diamond. This is achieved by blufling the pawl 46 by means of a bluff operated from the pattern drum (not shown) of the machine or from some equivalent device. The blufi consists of a rod 47 (see also Figure 8) which when required is elevated to lie in the track of the head of a pivot screw 48 of the pawl 46. When the pawl plate 45 is moved in its idle motion under the influence of a spring 49 the screw head 48 strikes the bluff rod 47 if the latter is raised and so checks this idle movement before the pawl 46 can engage the next tooth. This restraint on the movement of the pawl plate 45 prevents the truck 43 from following the contour of the operating cam 42.

It will be appreciated that the last stage in knittinga pattern is the widening of a half diamond. At this stage the cam drum 32 will have completed its six racks and the widening picker 18 is in action. It is now necessary to render the widening picker 18 inactive without racking the cam drum 32, for were the cam drum 32 racked the bolt cams 28, 29 would be brought into action. Therefore while the cam drum 32 is stationary after its sixth rack the drum 32 assembly together with its rack wheel 35 and clawker 46 is lifted to lift the plunger 37 which controls the widening picker 18. This movement is achieved by means of a fork lever 50 (Figures 7 and 8) acting on the cam drum 32 and operated through any suitable mechanism 51 from the pattern drum or the like.

To revert now to the mechanism for producing the racking movements of the cylinder 2, Figure 2, on the shaft 5 before mentioned there is a disc 52 equipped with a radially slidable plunger 53 urged outwards by a spring 54. Surrounding this disc 52 there is a clutch ring 55 which is connected to the gear 6 driving the cylinder 2. The clutch ring 55 is cut with four recesses 56 spaced apart for the reception of the outer end of the plunger 53. ,Thus when ,the plunger, 53 is engaged in a recesssdthefshaftd drives the-cylinder. 2 byway e fthe, disc 52, plunger 53 and clutch ring SS, and-when the plunger53 isfretracted, so as to be freed from a recess 56 (and so as to slide onthe inner circumferenceof the ring 55,) the discSZand. shaft 5 oscillat r e y an a dri've'is not transmitted to the ring and the eylinder 2 In .orderto cause the plunger 5} to be, retracted so as to disengage from the ring 55, it is provided yvi .a cam face 57 and at an. appropriate,,locationthefrarp of the machine carriesfla boltcarn f fimqvable into and out of position in which itis plaedsto, beengaged by the cam facefl57 as the disc 52 travels in one direction Thus assuming thebolt carn sfiyto beinoperativeposition,

whenfthe plunger 53 reaches it thep unser fifii famed? 1 inwards and is freed from its -;reces sj56; the disc 52" travels onwards and when theplungerfi} reaches the next recess 56. it springs out into the, latter sothat the drive to the ring-55' i's resumed. Asja result of these operations the cylinder 2 becomes, displaced through 9t)". If it is intended to effect the displacement through 18Q or 270.sir'nilar operations are repeated through the next swing or the next two swings of the disc 52 in the same direction.

The bolt cam SSis controlledby any suitable patterning device, such forexample as a chain through the medium of mechanism 158, and in order that the plunger 53ishall take up the drive without undue shock when it engages in a recess, 56, the bolt cam 58 is so disposed that the cam face engages it immediately after the disc52 has reversed its direction of movement.

Other devicesforshogging the cylinder may be adopted: for example thetiming of the quadrant 3 may be varied or the. pinion 4 driven by the quadrant may be displaced round the quadrant periphery (although either of these expedients may render it desirable to increase the circumferential length of the quadrant).

In order to produce lines of contrasting colour in dia mond formation, a simple form of wrap striping is used.

This includes a gear reduction unit 69 (Figures 9 and l0) rec eiving its input ,driveby means of a chain drive, to sprocket 61 from the main drive shaft of the machine proper. Interposed between this sprocket fill and the gear reduction unit is a clutch 63, operated from a pattern chain in the conventionalmanner by mechanism 163. This allows the drive to the gearboX to be made and broken on any desired course during the knitting sequence.

The overall geanreduction is such that one revolution is m de y pattern am sha t M gin ehee h the number ofcourses over which the overlay pattern is to cover. are, knitted.

The pattern earns 65, 66 transmit a step by step motion to the push rods'67, '68 which in turn act on the sliding racks 69, 70. Bothv the push rods 67, 68 and the sliding racks 69, 70 are urged back into, the cams 65,.66. by springs 71, 72.

Theslidi'ng racks 6 9, 70 mesh wit-h pinions 73, 74 (Figure 9); these also form inner and outer sleeves 75, 76 to. which the guide support arms 77, 78 are secured, Pivoted freely at the end of the support arms 77,78 are the yarnrlapping guides 79', 30,

The motion thus transmitted to the guides 79, 80 from the pattern earns 65, 66 is shown in figure No". 1 guide moves in from the needle marked 12 to the needlernarked r ras i l as he a ts aa ssell ss-fa k i t l ping each needle in turn. No. 2 guide moves from the needle marked 32 to the needle marked 23.; then both guides move out to their original positions.

Thelapping motion is imparted to the yarn guide 79, 80 by cams 81, 82 keyed to the boss of spur gear 83. This gear 83 is running freely on cam shaft 64 receiving its drive from the input sprocket 61 by thespur gear 83 and the idler cluster gear 84.

This gearing is such that gear 83 runs at half the needle andthe n passes through the centre of the inner gear sleeve andjout tothe yar ri lapping guides 79, 80.

Thelappingsequenceis as follows: As No. 1 feeder moves 'infr om nun-iber l2 needle to number 22 needle, the lapping guide79 passes through the lineof needles just before" 'nde r becomes stationary and then as the cylinder turns 11 to its stationary position, as it re-,

" verses its directi on of rotation, the guide 79 moves back across sienna of needles, thus completing the lap This continues until needle number 22 has been lapped and then as the yarn guide 79 moves out again to needle number 12 the method of lapping is reversed. The lapping I guide 79 pa sses through the line of needles as the cylinder :becomesstationary and then as the cylinder cornmences its swing in the opposite direction, the lapping guide 79 passes back through the line of needles.

No. 2 feeder 8 0 reverses this method of lappingihat is, asit moves fr om needle number 32 to needlenurnber 2 3, the feeder. passesthrough the line of needles as the cylinder becomes stationary, and then as it com menceslitsswingin the opposite direction, the feeder 80 moves back across the line of needles, thus completingthe 1ap.

Whilst No. 1 feeder 79 is lapping the needle numbered 22, No. 2 feeder 80 remains idle and laps number 23 needle again on the next alternate course, this time passing through the line of needles just before thecylinder becomes stationary and moves back as the cylinder be comes stationary. This continues as the feeder moves.

out from the needle number 32.

The reason for lapping the needles in a different direction is to obtain the correct lay of the wrapped yarnas it isknitted.

To obtain this lapping sequence, earns 81, 82 are slidable on the boss 93 of gear 83 and are actuated by means o f a shogging cam 94 through follower 95.

As the feeders 79, 8 0,rnove in, the cam foll0wers85, 86 work on the first and third discs, the cams 81, 82 are then shogged bringing the cam followers 85, 86 onto the second and fourth, thus allowing feeder No. 1 (79) to continue to lap the centre needle number 22, whilst nov movement is transmitted to No. 2 feeder 80, the fourth disc being a blank. The earns 81, 82 are once again shogged, the followers 85, 86 then working on the third and fifth discs, thus reversing the direction of lapping on each feeder 79, 80.

The Whole of this mechanism is carried on a casting 96 which is hinged on the worm wheel shaft 97 on the reduction unit 60. This is done in order to facilitate the running-on of rib tops to the cylinder needles, or to ease the changingof a needle should this become necessary. The. whole mechanism is hinged back in the direce tion of the arrow.

Casting 96 also carried the latch guard support cast ing 98,"secur'ed to'which' isthe hardened steel latch guard 99.

A locating plunger engages the taper bush 100 (Fig. 10) as the casting 96 ishinged to the horizontal position, thus positively locating the mechanism to the knitting elements.

The machine may have two or more knitting stations,

each provided with interchangeable yarn feeders, knitting cams and associated parts, so that two or more diamonds m y. e n t ed S m tane usl o am there b g two such stations spaced 180 apart, and the shogging movements being appropriately modified.

In the application of the invention to a superimposed needle cylinder machine it may be desirable to provide for the top cylinder to be lifted, or displaced sideways, to an inoperative position to allow the feeders for the intarsia yarn to move to an inoperative position which is inside the needle circle.

What I claim is:

1. A method of producing embroidered intarsia fabric on an independent needle circular knitting machine which comprises knitting one area of fabric by reciprocatory knitting on one group of knitting elements, adjusting the relative positions of the knitting elements and operating mechanism therefor to bring into operative position a second group of knitting elements extending in continuation of said first group, knitting a second area of fabric by reciprocatory knitting on said second group of knitting elements, adjusting the relative positions of the knitting elements and operating mechanism to bring portions of said first and second groups of elements into operative position, knitting a third area of fabric connecting said first and second areas, and incorporating embroidery stitches in the fabric by the lapping of yarns on the elements when the direction of the knitting motions is about changing.

2. A method according to claim 1 comprising also shogging of carriers for the embroidery yarn to cause the latter to be lapped successively on different knitting elements in different courses.

3. An independent needle circular knitting machine organized to knit intarsia fabric comprising a rotary needle cylinder, needles mounted on said cylinder, needle operating cams associated with the cylinder, driving means for rotating the cylinder to perform circular knitting, alternative means including a gear quadrant and pinion driven thereby for oscillating the cylinder to perform reciprocatory knitting, picker means operative on needle buttsto effect progressive widening and narrowing of fabric produced by reciprocatory knitting to form areas of intarsia fabric, means for effecting successive shogging motions of the needle cylinder in relation to the needle operating cams to cause groups of needles appropriate to each of the alternate areas of intarsia fabric in turn and then groups of needles appropriate to each of the intervening areas of the fabric in turn to pass to and fro through the knitting station during the production of the said areas, and gap forming means operable on a line of needle butts to form gaps therein to facilitate engagement of the picker means with the butts for effecting Widening of fabric, said gap forming means comprising movable cams and a narrowing picker adapted to act on a few adjacent butts of predetermined different projection to move them progressively to active height by moving selected pairs of adjacent butts out of line by the cams and returning one each time by the picker until all except one are out of line.

4. A machine according to claim 3 comprising means whereby operation of the gap forming means also renders the widening picker inoperative and cessation of operation of the gap forming means renders the picker operative.

5. A machine according to claim 3 having additional means acting independently of the gap forming means for rendering the widening picker inactive.

6. An independent needle circular knitting machine organized to knit intarsia fabric comprising a rotary needle cylinder, needles mounted on said cylinder, needle operating cams associated with the cylinder, driving means for rotating the cylinder to perform circular knitting, alternative means including a gear quadrant and pinion driven thereby for oscillating the cylinder to perform reciprocatory knitting, picker means operative on needle butts to effect progressive widening and narrowing of fabric produced by reciprocatory knitting to form areas of intarsia fabric, means for effecting successive shogging motions of the needle cylinder in relation to the needle operating cams to cause groups of needles appropriate to each of the alternate areas of intarsia fabric in turn and then groups of needles appropriate to each of the intervening areas of the fabric in turn to pass to and fro through the knitting station during the production of the said areas, embroidery yarn feeders, pattern-controlled means for causing such feeders to lap appropriate needles when the direction of the reciprocatory motions is about changing, and further pattern controlled means for shogging the yarn feeders to lap different needles in different courses.

7. A circular knitting machine of the type specified organized to knit areas of fabric which succeed one another in the coursewise direction and have interconnected margins disposed slantwise of the courses, comprising a circular needle bed, needles mounted in said bed, needle operating cams, means for effecting relative rotation between the bed and earns to perform rotary knitting, means for effecting alternatively relative oscillating movement between the bed and earns to perform reciprocatory knitting, means for effecting relative shogging between the bed and cams whereby to knit by reciprocation different areas of fabric in turn at predetermined different positions around the needle bed, a line of butts associated with said needles, narrowing and widening pickers operable on said butts and gap forming means for displacing certain butts to create a gap in the line for introduction of a picker so that the'latter may act on other butts in the line, said gap forming means being provided by movable cam means arranged to act on a few adjacent butts of predetermined different projection to move them and needles associated therewith progressively to active knitting height by moving in turn selected pairs of said adjacent butts out of line with other butts and permitting one butt to be returned at each movement by the narrowing picker until all except one of said adjacent butts are out of line.

8. A circular knitting machine of the type specified organized to knit areas of fabric which succeed one another in the coursewise direction and have inter-connected margins disposed slantwise of the courses, comprising a circular needle bed, needles mounted in said bed, needle operating cams, means for effecting relative rotation between the bed and cams to perform rotary knitting, means for effecting alternatively relative oscillating move ment between the bed and cams to perform reciprocatory knitting, means for effecting relative shogging between the bed and cams whereby to knit by reciprocation different areas of fabric in turn at predetermined different positions around the needle bed, a line of butts associated with said needles, narrowing and widening pickers operable on said butts, additional butts of predetermined different projection associated with a few adjacent needles in the central part of a group of needles on which a particular area of fabric is to be knitted, and gap forming means provided by movable cams operable on said additional butts to perform initial widening by moving in turn selected pairs of said adjacent needles from inactive loop holding height to active knitting height and permitting one needle at each movement to be returned by the narrowing picker until all except one of said adjacent needles are active, thereby forming a gap in the line of the first mentioned butts wherein the widening picker can operate to continue the widening operation progressively.

References fitted in the file of this patent Ul-JlTED STATES lATEllTS 1,945,227 La Montagne et al Jan. 30, 1934 2,000,373 Borsook May 7, 1935 2,179,336 Lawson Nov. 7, 1939 2,260,650 Allen Oct. 28, 1941 2,302,211 Green Nov. 17, 1942 2,527,534 Ellis Oct. 31, 1950 

